


Reaching Out

by CantarellaRose



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, THE iDOLM@STER: SideM
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Crying, Feelings, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Repressed Memories, references to Nee-san, self-projection ahoy lads, the stuff that's striked out, though tsubasa is here for like 2 seconds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 12:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20507153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CantarellaRose/pseuds/CantarellaRose
Summary: Sometimes you find solace in the most unexpected people.





	Reaching Out

**Author's Note:**

> jesus christ this took so long to write i dont even remember when i started writing this

<strike> _ He shouldn't have been awake that night. He should have just gone to the upstairs bathroom for water rather than tip-toeing down the creaky stairs to the kitchen. The lights in the kitchen were on. The closer he got to the kitchen, the louder his parents voices became. Making sure to keep as quiet as possible, he peeked through the crack in the door and- _ </strike>

<strike> _ "Perhaps stopping the sessions would be for the better." _ </strike>

<strike> _ His father gave his mother a bewildered look, "What on Earth are you talking about?" _ </strike>

<strike> _ "The therapist just called saying that he doesn't say a word to her!" his mother slammed her fist against the table, "He obviously isn't improving even after all this time!" _ </strike>

<strike> _ His father was taken aback, "Did… the therapist really tell you that?" He sank into the chair, "Now that you mention it, his mood only seems to be getting worse as time goes on." _ </strike>

<strike> _ Creeeaaakkk!! _ </strike>

<strike> _ He froze, he accidentally moved his foot onto a particularly creaky floorboard. The conversation stopped, they heard him. _ </strike>

<strike> _ He turned around and scrambled back upstairs. Not evening turning around when they ran out of the room. _ </strike>

<strike> _ "Honey, wait!" _ </strike>

<strike> _ "Kaoru!" _ </strike>

<strike> _ … _ </strike>

_ … _

…

"Kaoru-san?"

"Oi, Sakuraba?"

Groaning, Kaoru slowly cracked open his eyes. His head was pounding, which the room's bright lighting wasn't doing anything to help. Why did everything seem sideways?

Tsubasa stood up, "It's getting late, I think it's about time to head home."

"You should go home, too." Kaoru lifted his head from Teru's shoulder (amazing, of all the people to fall asleep on it just had to be Tendou Teru), wincing from the now apparent migraine.

"I'll stay a bit longer." Teru stood up, "Help clean up a bit."

Normally he would have some kind of snarky remark, but considering the fact that some corners of his vision were spinning and the pounding migraine, shooing Teru away was probably not a good idea for once. He bid Tsubasa goodnight, although he had a concerned expression as he left (understandable, leaving him and Teru alone half the time was like leaving a cat and a dog together). The silence that subsequently filled the apartment was long. No small talk of any sort, just the sounds of dishes clinking together as the night's dinner was washed and put away.

After what felt like an eternity, Teru broke the silence. "You were crying."

...what?

"When you were asleep on me, you were crying in your sleep."

"So?" Kaoru averted his gaze, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Am I not allowed to be worried about a friend?"

He rolled his eyes, "Like I said, it has nothing to do with you. There isn't any need for you to worry ov-"

"Sakuraba." His tone was different, gentler than the other times they would bicker, "It would be one thing if it were only a few tears, but you were almost sobbing into my shoulder."

That caught him off guard. "I…" his words died on his tongue.

"Look, I know we don't get along most of the time." Teru looked him in the eye, "But that doesn't mean I don't care about y-"

"How am I supposed to know you aren't talking out of your ass?" The words left his mouth before he could even begin to think.

A look crossed Teru's face. One of genuine confusion and hurt. It was quickly wiped away by a familiar cross expression, "I'm not trying to fight with you. I'm just trying to help-"

"Help?" he scoffed at him, "You want to know how to help? You can help by leaving me alone!"

A beat, then he spoke, "No." Teru took a step towards him, "I'm not leaving you alone like this."

Kaoru glared daggers at him, the pounding in his head only worsening. “Oh really? You really think you can just White Knight yourself into my-”

"That isn't what I'm trying to do here!" he snapped back.

"Then what the Hell are you trying to do?!"

“To keep you from self-destructing again!”

Everything seemed to screech to a halt the moment he said that. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”

“Do you remember when you started doing solo work?” Teru asked, “And how you ended up in the hospital because you wouldn’t listen to any of us when we told you to rest?”

Kaoru grew silent for a moment, “Yes, I do.”

“Or how about when you hurt yourself during practice and hid it from Tsubasa and me?” he added.

He was starting to understand what he was getting at, “...Yes, that too.” 

The room went quiet once again. Tension that initially filled the air cleared. Though, the pounding in his head was still present.

“Do you need some water?” That gentle tone was back.

Kaoru nodded. Shortly after, he was handed a half-full glass. The migraine started to hurt less after a few sips. “Why?”

“Why what?” Teru repeated.

He finally looked at him in the eye, “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I lo-” he stopped himself, "Because I really care about you, you know?" Teru's voice was small, "Believe I'm full of shit all you want, but it's true."

Kaoru put the glass down, “I know.”

Teru laid a hand on the counter, for once, Kaoru reached out and accepted it.

**Author's Note:**

> Y'know it ain't easy to write depressing shit while listening to this https://youtu.be/ECDxc_wOcew


End file.
